The Removal of Lead (ii) Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Acid-activated Clay Modified with Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose

The suitability of clay modified with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose was tested for the removal of Pb 2+ from aqueous solutions. The effect of pH on the adsorption process was investigated in the pH range from 1 to 9. Tests were conducted at different temperatures: 20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C. The effect of initial concentration of adsorbate on lead removal was analysed using solutions with lead concentrations from 50-150 mg L -1 . Also, the amount of adsorbent in the process of removing lead was determinated. The efficiency of lead removal was observed to be 86.19 % from solution with the initial concentration 100 mg L -1 . Obtained Freundlich adsorption isotherms show extremely high correlation coefficient R 2 , i.e. processes of equilibria on the investigated clays can be described using this equation. The series of conducted experiments shows that the clay modified with carboxymethyl cellulose is suitable for the removal of lead from waste waters. Further researches should be focused on modifying clay with other long chain molecules which can improve adsorption properties.